This month, each of our articles has centered on the importance of work cultures that are people-centered and committed to ongoing growth and development. Just as the picture shows, building and sustaining culture is a team-based approach. In other words, it takes all hands working together to reach the results we all desire in the places where we live and work.

Since culture is described as the representation of the everyday habits of the people who work within the organization, what are the habits of your team that represent who you are at your best? Below are three habits that we believe align with both a growth mindset and coach leader behaviors.

1. 1. Model the Mindset of Presuming Positive Intent and Trust

Mindset is about your internal thinking and dialogue representing your core beliefs about you, your work, your life and your world. It includes how you see the people you live and work with as well as all people that share this planet with you. It shows up in the language you use with your internal dialogue and in the conversations that you have with others.

Coach leaders presume positive intent. They see others and themselves as whole and capable human beings, able to do the work connected to the expectations of the job. They look for what is working before identifying areas needing additional support. They clearly articulate the standards and expectations of the work in ways that stimulate conversations and personal reflections and they remember to give themselves and others grace along the way.

Trust radiates throughout a mindset of positive intent. It reveals itself in the language we use. For example, “What goals have you set for this school year related to your personal growth and which are also connected to the overall goals of our school?” This question models your previously articulated expectations about goals and also your trust in each member to build his/her goals based on those expectations.

Recently, a school leader confided that occasionally her language was not as “coach like” as she thought it would be as she was preparing for the role of a school principal. Honestly, we all have times when our language gets out of sync with our intentions and core values. When that happens, we recalculate as quickly as possible and ask for forgiveness, as appropriate. That is different from occasionally using intentional language that is firm and straightforward. There are times when leaders use firm and very specific language to stress a point. This is where awareness of self and others comes into play. Is what you just said what you meant to say and how are you checking to be sure that others heard what you intended for them to hear? It’s about delivering a clear message while also demonstrating respect for the receiver of the message.

1. 1. Be a Committed Listener

This is one of the most important points to remember as a leader. Committed listeners are present in conversations they have with others. Whether in a scheduled conversation, or a spur-of-the-moment one, they eliminate distractions, or attempt to remove them, and they listen to understand. As Mark Goulston, in Just Listen, says, “Be more interested than interesting.” Step into the other person’s world and see what that person is speaking about as if you are right there with him or her, regardless of whether or not you agree with what they are saying. Remember, you will have an opportunity to speak later. Showing interest, empathy and a genuine desire to understand will serve you well as you interact with others. And, that sort of attitude is contagious.

1. 1. Use Intentional Language that Aligns with Your Mindset

Recently, I completed a Narrative Coaching course with David Drake. One of his points had to do with intentions. He believes that having people state their intentions is as important as having people set goals. That resonated with me and aligned with the emphasis that RCG places on intentional thinking, doing and being in the seminars we provide.

If you were to ask me what my intentions are as I interact with others, I would say, “To show respect to each person by using the type of language I would want used when someone is speaking to me.” Years ago, when still in the classroom, and before all the technology that is at our fingertips today, I occasionally would record myself teaching so that I could hear how I sounded when no one was watching (that was before we had the ability to video tape lessons). I wanted to speak with intention to students all the time as if someone was watching, and I knew there were times when I’d slack off.

Hopefully, today I’d say that I speak with intention because that aligns with my core values of respect for each person, regardless of whether I agree or disagree about topics of discussion, and also whether or not someone else is listening. Do I still slack off some? Of course I do. This is where grace comes in for ourselves just as we offer it to others. We identify where we dropped the ball (or the building block in this instance), and we pick it back up and carry on toward our best selves. Remember, growth is an ongoing process.

As a leader in this day and time, you have an extremely challenging job with lots of exciting expectations and demands coming at you from all different directions. You also have one of the most rewarding jobs around. You get to work with children and help shape the future. For some, that may sound cliché, and yet it’s the truth from my viewpoint. And, it’s rewarding and assuring to know that you are not alone. You have a team full of hands united in building the culture that will best support the results each of you wants! May this be the best year ever for you and your team!